until you actually get it in front of a customer, you’re ‘idea masturbating’ - you dont know until its in the hands of the customer and they give you visceral feedback - ask more customers, get a pattern in the feedback then use that to optimise.

dont worry overly about competitors, there will always be competitors, and ideas are generally never really original, the goal isn’t to be original, its to be valuable to the customer, by truly addressing their problem with a solution they can embrace.

Execution > Idea

Many people gave up because they don’t think their idea is unique enough.You don’t have to worry about competition. In fact, having competition already = your idea is validated.

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I’m running this site where I feature interviews and stories with indie founders who’ve started profitable business on their own, and this is my biggest takeaway.

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To give you some context:

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• There are tons of website builders out there, but Alexander Isora still manages to build his website builder Saas business to over $16k MRR

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• Google created Google Analytics, but this doesn’t stop these 2 guys from creating a privacy-focused analytics tool to take on Google. They are doing $23k MRR after 5 years

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Most importantly, don’t give up.

Look using the convential wisdom of the market is not stupid or inefficient. Learning from your competitors as a start usually is a good strategy. Innovate when you have their business model replicated. Most businesses are just replicas of very old and proven business models, some of them find an edge by making that very model more efficient. New untested business models are unlikely to succeed

Oh man, this sounds like the classic “Entrepreneur’s Groundhog Day”! You’re in that fun loop where your brain becomes a problem-seeking missile, but the moment you lock onto a target, it suddenly transforms into a doubt-spewing machine. Classic!
Here’s a bit of unconventional advice: embrace the copycat… initially. Almost every great idea was once a photocopy of something else with a little twist. Remember, Facebook wasn’t the first social network, and Google certainly wasn’t the first search engine. It’s all about taking something and adding your unique spice to it.
But here’s the kicker for breaking the loop: Passion isn’t found, it’s developed. Start with something that mildly interests you. Then, deep-dive into it. The more you learn and tweak, the more invested you become. Suddenly, you’re not just solving a problem; you’re on a quest to create something amazing.
And if all else fails, remember the wise words of every entrepreneur’s spirit animal, Michael Scott: “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take – Wayne Gretzky – Michael Scott.” Keep shooting! 🚀